Pascack Valley board authorizes RFP to solicit custodial-service proposals amid fierce public opposition

The Pascack Valley Regional High School District board at its meeting authorized staff to hire a firm to draft specifications and to use a request-for-proposals process to solicit bids for custodial services, a procedural step board members said is intended to gather data before any decision to privatize.

Members of the public at the meeting urged the board not to outsource custodial staff, citing safety, continuity and community ties. "Your custodial staff is your front line security in your buildings," said Michael Yonone of Ridgewood, who said outsourced contractors produce higher turnover and weaker relationships with students. "If something is amiss, they're the first ones who are gonna notice it."

George Lambert, a long-time resident and former NJEA employee, told the board a custodian once found and returned his wife's lost earring and said outsourcing would replace local, vested employees with transient contractors whose vetting and accountability can be opaque. "You can always get things cheaper, but you're not going to get things better," Lambert said.

Other public commenters described similar concerns. John Sassy, a teacher, said a prior outsourcing effort in his experience lasted about a year before districts reverted to in-house custodial staff because of constant rotation and lack of training. Carol Feinstein, a field representative for the New Jersey Education Association, called Englewood's outsourcing experience a "disaster," saying contractors later billed extra for routine tasks and could not be treated as district employees.

Board members acknowledged the community's concerns and emphasized the narrow scope of the authorization. "This is just to get proposals," said a finance committee speaker during discussion, adding that approval from the Department of Consumer Affairs is part of the process and that the RFP is intended to provide data the board can analyze. Board members repeatedly said safety requirements will be included in any RFP and that no final decision to privatize would be made without evaluating vendor proposals and conducting cost-benefit analysis.

The consent finance package that included the RFP authorization (item 29) advanced by roll call; meeting minutes show at least two board members recorded a 'No' vote on item 29 specifically while the broader consent items passed. Several board members and community presenters urged the board to consider alternatives and stressed custodial staff's noncustodial roles, including informal student support and event logistics.

The board did not take a final privatization vote at the meeting; members said they will review proposals and return to a public meeting before making any hiring or contract decisions.